A Vilian Christmas
by Krystal Kerro Sky
Summary: It's Christmas Time... and the Council finds that there is more to Christmas than what they thought. Originaly start in July, finished in December


A Villain Christmas  
  
~~~ ! ~~~  
  
Inspired by a review for A Family Christmas, here is one for the villains. Written in the middle of July.  
  
Disclaimer: "Action Man" and "Action Man: Doom Strikes Back" and all related topics belong to Hasbro and Mainframe Entertainment Inc.  
  
~~~ ! ~~~  
  
Tempest walked onto the bridge of the Airship on December 23. He walked over to a control panel near Dr. X and punched in a few commands. The storm outside changed from rain to snow as they headed farther north. "Hey X, what was Christmas like for you when you were young?"  
  
The red-eyed doctor glanced at the teen, and then returned to studying the topography map on the monitor in front of him. He didn't respond for a little bit, changing their course a little and speeding up the engines. "Christmas. a holiday I never gave any thought to."  
  
The younger engineer sighed. "Really? Never opened presents with your family-"  
  
He had to duck as a plasma blast was fired towards him. The shot hit a window, and dissipated, leaving a clear residue that was quickly swarmed by trilobugs.  
  
"Not another word from you." Dr. X said, putting his gun arm down and looking back to the map.  
  
Tempest stared at him, and then quickly made his way from the bridge. Ok, so X was very touchy on his past, and maybe he never ever celebrated Christmas.  
  
He kept walking down the corridor until he felt the faint, but familiar, shock waves that announced Quakes' presence. He still managed to 'shake things up' even with the dampeners on, maybe because he was so fat.  
  
The fat janitor came around the corner. "Hey, Battery Boy, what are you doing walking around here?"  
  
Tempest sighed, glaring at the man. God he was so annoying, probably the only thing that could ruin Christmas. With Dr. X being no help, Quake being too stupid and arrogant to do anything, that left Asazi and Gangrene. Maybe they would get into a spirit. "I own this ship, moron. Now get out of my way."  
  
Quake smiled stupidly. "No, I aint moving for you at all, whether or not this is your ship."  
  
Tempest reached behind his back and took hold of the lightning staff there. He pulled it out and separated them. The tips crackled faintly with the bioelectricity, sending out little sparks. "Move, now."  
  
"What are you going to do, shock me? You know the doc made this suit 'shock' proof." Quake sneered, placing his hands on his fat hips and swinging them from side to side.  
  
The sparks grew in size, jumping to the walls and back as Tempest readjusted his footing. He wasn't afraid to kill the fat bastard, the little pervert. He wanted past so he could find either of the other actual members of the council. "Move, now."  
  
"No."  
  
Tempest lost patience, and loosened a lethal bolt at the janitor, knocking both of them back a few steps as the air heated up and exploded around them. Quake fell backwards, stumbling and tripping as lightning raced over the suit.  
  
Tempest was glad he adjusted his footing as he set the lightning staff back together and replaced it back on his back. He walked past Quake and looked down as the fat man struggled to get up. "You just ruined my Christmas spirit, you asshole."  
  
He kept walking to the lab where Gangrene had taken residence. He walked in, and found the deranged scientist kneeling near the base of what looked like an Evergreen tree.  
  
"Professor?" the engineer called out, staying near the door. He learned that Gangrene had a temper like his name, which made one cautious when near him.  
  
The green haired scientist looked over his shoulder to the teen technician. "Ah, Tempest Storm. pleasure to see that you came to visit me in my jungle."  
  
Tempest glanced around. Plants were everywhere, but to call it a 'jungle' was an overstatement. "Uh, yeah. Professor, I was wondering, what did you do with your family during Christmas time?"  
  
"Christmas time? Is that soon? Well. I remember my siblings and me swapping gifts Christmas day, but that was it. I know my mother made a very big meal, until one of my experiments took over the house and killed everyone."  
  
Tempest gulped. Ok, so Gangrene's family died because of an experiment on Christmas Day or the evening before. Maybe Christmas wasn't such a good idea for the council.  
  
"All right. well, thanks, I guess." Tempest said, sidling towards the door.  
  
Gangrene stood up, looking the teen over, tapping his chin in thought. "Why is it a fly trap like you wanted to know? What could be so important about Christmas to you?" a green vine left his hand and kept the door closed.  
  
"Well. it's Christmas tomorrow, and I was wondering what everyone did when they were younger. But I have work to get to, mind letting me go?"  
  
The vine left, letting him leave the room quickly. He continued his search for the last member of the Council.  
  
He found her in the training room, practicing kickboxing. He leaned against the wall, watching for a little while. "Hey, Asazi, what did you do for Christmas when you weren't an assassin?"  
  
She went back to both feet and turned to him, a look of disgust on her face. "Nothing, it was just another day of the month that needed to be lived through." She turned and kicked the bag so hard it swung. "And I never really cared for the holiday since."  
  
He sighed. No one, it seemed, had any spirit for Christmas. Well, maybe after all the failed attempts to sack Alex Mann, no one had any spirit for even a day of celebration. With out a word to her, he left, going back to his quarters. Maybe he would send a card to his parents, but not like they would care, they never did. Maybe they might realize he thought of them during the holiday season.  
  
The door slid open, and he walked in, taking a seat at his built in computer. He opened up a simple card program and made up a quick personal card for his parents, and then sent it to Chelsea, someone he knew from MIT. She lived near his parents, last time he heard from her; and was nearly twice his age. He hoped she would get it and print it out and give it to his parents. As an after thought, he made one for her, and sent it.  
  
He sat back, watching as a trilobug came into the room through a service space in the wall. It did a minor repair, and then left again. Tomorrow and the day after would be a lonely Christmas.  
  
~~~ ! ~~~  
  
He was up early, deciding that since no one seemed to share the spirit, he would pass it around. He had a few gifts stored away that he had picked up god knows how long ago, and had wrapped them up and set them outside of the quarters of everyone. It didn't matter that he didn't get a gift; it just felt good to give them all something. He was still questioning himself as to why he got Quake a gift, but a box of popcorn wasn't really a gift. It was just food.  
  
As he went to the bridge to see where they had stopped, he found that Dr. X was there, standing near the windows, looking out over the clouds.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Tempest."  
  
He was taken aback, but didn't let that stop him. "Merry Christmas, X."  
  
A trilobug entered, carrying the gift for X on its back. It bumped into the doctor's ankle, and then backed up a step.  
  
Dr. X looked down at the bug, and then picked up the gift. He lifted the lid, and a faint smile crossed his face as he replaced the lid. Tempest didn't even look at him, just busied himself with the controls.  
  
"Thank you, that was very, thoughtful of you."  
  
Tempest was about to give an over excited reply, but held it back. It had taken him a long time to think of even a suitable present for the older man, and he was glad that he liked it. "Your welcome."  
  
Dr. X set the gift on a near by console, clasping his hands behind his back as he continued to look out over the cloudy skyscape below. The sun had started to peak over the horizon in the east, casting a faint reddish-pink glow to the clouds.  
  
"You know, with that gift, you just sealed mankind's fate." He said empathetically.  
  
Tempest didn't respond for a few moments. "I know, but what did mankind ever do for me? Not much, if you look back to when this all began."  
  
Dr. X nodded. "True, true. I guess you could say I very much agree with you. What did mankind ever give back to those who help? Nothing. A few kind people thank them, but those kind people were soon swallowed up by the mass of the greedy mankind.  
  
"If you look at the world down there right now, Tempest, you will see that everyone is getting along, being helpful to each other. And it is only just one day out of the year that this happens. What about the other 364 days? It is a same old greedy, unforgiving, selfish lot of human beings that has walked this earth ever since it began. Now, you tell me something, what does mankind need?"  
  
Tempest watched the doctor carefully. The whole time he spoke, he didn't move an inch from where he stood. "It needs a good kick in the ass if you want my honest opinion."  
  
Dr. X noted that, and continued on. "Mankind needs a master, an overlord to look over it. All the races must get along together. that is where the Council of DOOM comes in. You see, many people tend to forget that there is someone out there that has control of their lives, and the automatic response is that they control their own lives. Oh how wrong they are.  
  
"With that small gift you gave, you just put all of mankind under my control. To them. I am God."  
  
Tempest gulped. He agreed with the madman, mankind needed a master, but for that virus, sitting in a gift box on a velvet pillow holding all the power Caesar once held, was just too much. Had he known that was what he had been giving his employer, he would have thought twice. But there was no way he was going to take back the gift.  
  
"Merry Christmas Dr. X. and Happy Holidays."  
  
The smile that crossed his face was for himself and himself alone. "Happy Holidays indeed."  
  
~~~ ! ~~~  
  
Tempest awoke on Christmas Day with little spirit left. Not once had he been acknowledged by the others for his gifts, heck, they didn't even go to find him in the engineering bay to thank him. He felt really depressed, and decided that Asazi was right, Christmas was just another day to live through, and forget after it passed.  
  
Yesterday, after his talk with Dr. X, he checked his mail, and found an email from Chelsea, who had sad news to report. Both his parents were killed in a car crash a week ago, and that since authorities could not find him, they could not tell him the news.  
  
He cared, but didn't care for his parents. Truth be told... they never really cared about him, unless he did something good. Won an award for something, and that was about it.  
  
He put his bare feet to the floor, and looked to the only chair in his bedroom. There was an assortment of boxes, totaling 4. He just stared at them, not believing his eyes. They either were thanking him, or remembering it was Christmas.  
  
He grabbed one of the gifts and looked to see who it was from. Quake.  
  
He was about to just throw it off to the side, but stopped, and opened the thing.  
  
A plastic pocket protector was there, surrounded by tissue paper.  
  
This forced a laugh from the teen-aged engineer. The fat janitor was emphasizing that he was a nerd, and always will be.  
  
"Never thought I'd say this, but thanks Quake." He said to the trilobug that entered the room.  
  
He glared at it for a moment, then grabbed his pillow and threw it at the robot.  
  
The purple bug nearly shrieked, and skittered from the room. He listened as the main door opened, then closed, the bug leaving entirely.  
  
He heaved a sigh, and reached for the next gift. It was a small box, and when he opened it, it was just a small piece of paper.  
  
'Get a piercing, Girls will like it.' Was all that was on the paper.  
  
Tempest stared, setting the gift aside. No doubt that was from Asazi. She was suggesting something to him for once, after all the countless times he told her he thought she needed a hair cut, or at least a different style.  
  
"What goes around comes around." He said, reaching for the next gift.  
  
It had to be the most strangely wrapped gift of all of them, and removing the paper showed why.  
  
It was a plant, a Venus fly trap, but this one seemed different, there were two big eyes on it that looked him over, and then closed.  
  
He stared. A plant with eyes. yep, defiantly Gangrene. He thought, setting the plant on his bedside table.  
  
Which meant one thing, the last gift was from Dr. X.  
  
He picked up the black wrapped box and slowly undid the paper.  
  
~~~ ! ~~~  
  
Asazi looked behind her as Tempest walked onto the bridge, a childlike grin spread on his face. He looked so adorable, if it wasn't for that tattoo. She turned back to the window she had been looking out. "Sleep well, Tempest?"  
  
He whistled, and nodded to Asazi. "Very well. It had to have been the best sleep of my life. But the best part was when I woke up this morning."  
  
She chuckled, glade no one else was here, and that he was happy. "What was so good about it?"  
  
Tempest messed with a few of the controls, looking out the window at the current weather, then down at a map to see where they were for Christmas Day.  
  
"If I told you, you would just laugh, so I can't." he said, keeping his excitement to himself. It was such a beautiful day above the clouds.  
  
"I think I'm going to take a helicopter out and go for a spin." He set the ship on autopilot and left the bridge, putting his hands in his pockets as he walked to the flight bay.  
  
~~~ ! ~~~  
  
He retuned to the bridge a while later, finding the whole council, plus Quake, there. It was strange to see them all in one place. "Morning all."  
  
Gangrene nodded. "Good Morning, Storm. Asazi tells us all that you were in high spirits this morning."  
  
He is about to reply, but holds it back for a little while longer as he goes to one of the consoles and makes an adjustment he noticed that had to be made. "I was, but that isn't any big deal right now."  
  
Silence reigned over the bridge, a silence that was not uncomfortable, just odd.  
  
The ship cruised over the clouds, and then X coughed to call attention, though that wasn't really needed.  
  
"With in the past few days, Tempest has showed us that we are not unified at all. As a matter of fact, he has shown us that the Council is as disorganized as the United Nations. If we hope to one day rule the world, then I propose that we set aside our differences, and strive towards what is both our goal and destiny. The simple act of give gifts on an international holiday does seem quite pointless, but one will never truly understand the simple pleasure of receiving and giving a gift, no matter what size it is."  
  
From the four others gathered, clapping broke out, and for the first time in a year, the Council of D.O.O.M. was unified.  
  
~~~ ! ~~~  
  
R&R.. and hope you liked it. ~Kerro 


End file.
